Reluctance
by Verenda
Summary: The life of a spy is a dangerous game, even more dangerous if you don't want to play it. F!SW/Quinn, follows the SW story for a while, then does a bit of divergence.
1. Chapter 1: Double-edged Sword

Disclaimer: This is where I put something along the lines of owning nothing pertaining to SW:TOR.

**Reluctance**  
**Chapter One: Double-edged Sword**

A newly promoted Captain Malavai Quinn practically raced through the streets of Sobrik, headed straight for his quarters. It was difficult to keep the stupid smile off his face as he clutched the small black box in his hands. When he finally reached his office, he told the protocol droid nearby not to let anyone inside his personal room under any circumstances, and shut the door behind him. There would be no distractions of any sort to keep him from this moment.

He placed the box in the center of his desk and sat in the chair across from it. His gloved fingers traced the edges as he held his breath, anxious. Twenty seven blocked or denied promotions, and nearly a decade later, here Malavai Quinn sat, almost unable to enjoy it. He continued to hold his breath, expecting the worst, expecting the box to be empty, expecting another message stating that Moff Broysc had once again pulled enough strings to keep him in the position of lieutenant.

"Don't be foolish," he said aloud with a small chuckle, "the paperwork has already been filed." And with that, he opened the lid.

Gleaming up at him were the Captain's rank insignia pins and cords. He exhaled a sigh of relief, smiled, and took off his gloves, placing them neatly next to the open box. His index finger traced the smooth ridges of the pin block by block and then ran along the coarse braid of the cords. He would wear them proudly, just as he had nearly fifteen years ago – the first time he rose to the rank of Captain.

He took both items from the box and began fastening them to his jacket. He had worn the lieutenant's insignia for so long, he almost forgot the extra bit of weight the higher rank cords added. The small smile he had been wearing nearly all day persisted.

There was only one other thing to take care of before he could leave the awful rock of Balmorra. Quinn picked up a nearby datapad and began looking over the open positions for relocation. Earlier in the day, he had narrowed down his results to three possible choices, but deciding between them had proven difficult.

His personal holocommunicator rang abruptly, interrupting his perusal. He stood, smoothed his jacket along his chest, and then turned to answer whoever was trying to contact him. He was pleased to see the image of Darth Baras appear before him; it would give Quinn the opportunity to privately thank the Sith for his promotion and relocation.

"My Lord," he began with a deep bow, inviting Baras to speak.

"Ah, Captain Quinn, I see you've received your captaincy in full. Now I must ask you about your choice in relocation."

"My Lord, I would like to give my extreme thanks again for the promotion and the relocation, although I have not yet narrowed down search."

"You have proven yourself deserving of such rewards. I may be able to pinpoint the best location for you."

Quinn's eyebrows knitted together quizzically. _How would Darth Baras know where to send me? _He asked inwardly. _Certainly he knows my talents and skills, but that is only a fraction of the relocation destination._ Suddenly, he widened his eyes knowingly. _No, he's relocating you for his own gain._

"I feel that you would be best suited serving under my apprentice. I don't often send my apprentices to traverse the galaxy without proper surveillance. I need you to be my eyes and ears aboard her ship."

As Baras spoke, irritation and anger bubbled in Quinn's chest. He tightened his jaw, preparing himself for speaking out to a superior, something he hadn't done in a long time. Babysitting an apprentice was hardly a step up from his current situation. "My Lord, with all due respect, my debt to you has been paid. I would prefer a relocation better suited to combatting the—" he was cut short by a scream from the Sith on the holo.

"Have you forgotten your place, Imperial?!" Baras bellowed, reaching out with his right arm. "I granted you this, and I can just as easily take it away!"

Quinn's throat tightened, his vision blurred, and the drumming in his ears drowned out the choking sounds escaping his throat. He barely noticed being lifted into the air as he grasped at the invisible hands around his neck. In an instant, he collapsed to the floor, his airway no longer restricted. Lifting himself up onto all fours, he took ragged breaths, staring wide-eyed at the floor beneath him.

"Her ship leaves soon; I suggest you make your arrangements quickly. And do make sure you're convincing when you request to join her crew." The communication cut out without another word.

"Right away, my Lord," Quinn said hoarsely to the dormant holoterminal. It had been nearly ten years since he had experienced such bitterness toward any superior. He pushed himself upward, still shaking involuntarily from being choked. At least this apprentice was expected to travel throughout the galaxy; at least he'd finally get off this rock.

The datapad lying on his desk still showed his previous and now no-longer-possible locations for reassignment. Baras was using him once again as a pawn to suit his own needs, but such was the life of an Imperial officer. Quinn cleared the information on the datapad with a sigh, and instead began arranging his personal effects to be sent off-world, to a location he would hopefully be able to see in the near future.

As Quinn packed some small items he would need on the apprentice's ship, he thought back to the young Sith woman. She had called herself Alandra, and she seemed far too young and inexperienced to be handling Baras' spies. From what he saw of her in combat, she was adept in the Force, though he could hardly measure that without sensitivity to it. Diplomatically, she seemed too soft to be considered a Sith; rather than kill a Jedi who had been trying to expose Commander Rylon, she allowed the Republic scum to be imprisoned. Her methods were unorthodox in most Imperial society. She kept a slave with her at all times, yet she didn't require the Twi'lek to wear a collar, and she permitted the blue-skinned girl to say and do things slaves shouldn't have been allowed.

She was however, very eager to assist Baras in his operations, and she was quite attentive when she needed to hear a strategy or plan. It was admirable how well she listened and followed orders. He never really had an issue working with the young Sith; perhaps being aboard her ship wouldn't be such a miserable assignment.

Quinn sighed, gathering the rest of his belongings he would take with him. Regardless of Alandra's abilities, personable qualities, or eagerness to follow orders, he would much rather be stationed aboard an Imperial ship full of men and women like himself – somewhere he would do the galaxy some good, not just play spy for Baras.


	2. Chapter 2: Resplendence

**Reluctance**

**Chapter Two: **_**Resplendence **_

The spaceport hummed with Imperial life. Alandra tried to ignore the soldiers escorting groups of what appeared to be Balmorran resistance fighters into a transport hanger. Vette quietly kept pace, walking with both hands shoved in her pockets.

Getting through Sobrik spaceport security was trivial. As soon as one soldier witnessed the lightsaber hilt clipped to her belt, all Imperials in the nearby vicinity snapped to attention, and no one bothered to stop and ask for 'clearance.'

"You know," Vette spoke up as the pair reached the hanger, "I'm glad we're finally leaving this place."

Alandra smiled and turned to her companion. "Is Imperial life too much for you to handle?" she teased.

Vette closed her eyes and turned her nose into the air. "They're all a bit stuck up for my taste," she replied in her best fake Imperial accent.

"Even the Lieutenant?" Alandra asked as the two women entered the hanger and approached the ship.

"Ugh. I think he was the-" she stopped mid-sentence when she noticed a man staring at Alandra's ship. "Speak of the devil," she said with a smirk.

The man had clearly heard the pair approach. He quickly spun on his heel and bowed deeply. "My Lord," he greeted, visibly embarrassed that he had been caught admiring a Sith's possessions.

"Captain Quinn," Alandra started with a warm smile, "have you come to see me off?" From just behind her, Vette groaned.

Quinn dodged the flirtatious nature of the question effortlessly. "Not exactly, my Lord," he began. "If you recall, Lord Baras has offered me a chance at reassignment along with my new promotion. After witnessing your capabilities and prowess, I can think of no better place to serve the Empire than at your side." He hoped the lie was convincing enough; he'd been practicing the speech since he left his former office.

Alandra was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. She stared at him calculatingly, noting his posture shift with nervousness; for a man usually so well composed, he was acting strangely. "I accept, Captain," she finally said. "It will be nice to have such an apt strategist aboard."

It was then that Quinn realized he'd been holding his breath. He exhaled a sigh of relief and composed himself, smoothing the front of his jacket habitually. The phantom pain from his earlier Force choke subsided. "I'm honored, my Lord; I will make every attempt to live up to your expectations of me."

Vette watched him with suspicion as he picked up his bag. Nothing about the situation seemed right in her mind as the three walked up the ramp to Alandra's spacecraft. She observed the way Alandra showed the Captain around the main rooms of the ship. It was unsettling that a Sith wouldn't think twice about allowing a person like Quinn on board.

"Vette, show Captain Quinn to his quarters. I need to contact Darth Baras before we depart," Alandra commanded, shaking the Twi'lek from her thoughts.

Vette nodded curtly and began walking down an adjoining corridor. Quinn followed suit, eager to be away while Baras was on holo. He didn't want to experience the smugness Baras would exude seeing the Captain aboard the apprentice's ship.

"I suppose this will be your room since mine is across the hall," Vette said, stopping before an open door. "And, no offense, but I don't really want to share living space with you," she added.

"Noted," Quinn replied offhandedly. He peered into the small living space, deeming it adequate. It had a small desk area, two bunks etched into the wall, and a closet large enough for the clothing he had brought along with him. There was only one issue he had with the area, and he quickly went to work resolving it.

Vette watched with curiosity as the Captain began feeling under furniture, checking walls, picking up lamps, cots, and other miscellaneous items in the room. She watched hims well after she realized what he was doing, but was intrigued with his thoroughness.

She finally cleared her throat, demanding Quinn's attention. "If you're looking for bugs, I'm fairly certain you won't find any," she said with a knowing smirk. He eyed her suspiciously. "Alandra had me scour the whole ship just after we left Dromund Kaas," she continued matter-of-factly.

_Clever girl, _he mused. Quinn stood up straight and pulled a datapad from his packed belongings. He tapped a few times and then looked up to see Vette still watching him from the doorway. "Thank you, Vette. If you will excuse me, I must have this signed by Lord Alandra."

Vette stepped aside, allowing the Captain to pass. She determined it odd that immediately after the ship had been cleaned of surveillance equipment that someone like Quinn, someone who admittedly owed his career to Darth Baras, would join their crew. She also found it odd that he would search his own living space for bugs. The young Twi'lek shook her head and decided it was best to ignore the Captain's actions for the time being. She would much rather wash off the grime of Balmorra than contemplate fruitlessly the actions of a new person on the ship.

Quinn found Alandra on the bridge of the ship, hunched over the navigation computer terminal. She turned when he entered and stood. The Captain bowed. "My Lord, if I could request your signature on my transfer papers-"

"Of course," she interrupted, taking the datapad and skimming the document. As she signed, Quinn looked over her shoulder to the nav computer's screen and frowned. When she handed the device back, he cleared his throat.

"If you don't mind my asking, why does our trajectory indicate an estimated travel time of two days?" he asked.

Alandra folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the edge of the console with her hip. "That was the suggestion of the ship," she explained innocently.

"My Lord, before I was stripped of my rank and exiled on Balmorra, I was an admiral in the Navy. I have piloted ships since graduating top of my class at the Academy. I'm fairly certain I could cut that travel time in half or more, if you'll allow me," Quinn explained straightening into parade rest.

Briefly, the Captain resembled a bird territorially showing off its plumage to display dominance. She almost laughed. "I wasn't aware of your abilities as a pilot, but you are more than welcome to show me. Alert me when we're approaching our destination," Alandra said, turning for the exit.

"One final thing, my Lord," Quinn called out as he slipped into the captain's chair and began plotting a course. "I will need your call sign."

Alandra turned slightly gripping the frame of the door with one hand. She smiled as she watched the Captain engrossed in the work he had already begun.

"_Resplendence_."

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**A/N: Thank you for the reviews/favs/alerts! Glad you guys are enjoying it so far!**


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